Slim Thug

Slim Thug And Paul Wall Are 'Guiding' Marcus Manchild

08 Mar 2012 17:53:40 EST

'We just want to see him shine and keep the Houston movement going, man,' Thug tells Mixtape Daily.
By Rob Markman

Fire Starter: Marcus Manchild
Houston, Texas' Marcus Manchild is talented enough to make it in rap without any co-signs, but a little love from a couple of hometown heroes never hurt anyone.

Marcus, who appeared in a Get in the Game segment on "RapFix Live" back in September, is getting ready to drop his Space Jams 2 mixtape. While Manchild is still a relative newcomer, he has been learning lessons from a couple of OG's — Slim Thug and Paul Wall — for quite some time now.

"I kinda like guide him, give him a little game, what to do, what not to do," Thugga told Mixtape Daily of his relationship with Manchild. "It's just like family, man, we just want to see him shine and keep the Houston movement going, man. That's it."

As part of the AMG clique, Marcus has built quite the rep for himself, thanks to the rambunctious "Get Off Me" and his original Space Jams mixtape. MM's latest single, "Problems," features Bun B, so he clearly has no shortage of support.

For Wall, it's all about building positive relationships. He understands how quickly today's up-and-coming rappers can become tomorrow's superstars. "It's good to build relationships, because when you come back to the city, you never know who you gonna holla at or who you gonna need or vice versa. You gonna be in a position to help them out," he said.

There are no ulterior motives, either: Neither Paul Wall nor Slim Thug have any formal business dealings with Marcus. They just truly appreciate his talent.

"It's a blessing. Just having them around, guiding me, what to expect and what not to do, how not to mess up in this game. It's surreal," Marcus said. "You can't ask for nothing more than legends that's in your city that really did something, that actually ventured off out of your city and made a name for themselves and actually are known worldwide and they're here helping you out. It's a great feeling."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Slim Thug Balances H-Town And Mainstream In Tha Thug Show

03 Dec 2010 12:42:20 EST

'I think I did a good job of mixing it up,' the Houston rapper says of his latest album.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Slim Thug thinks he might have veered too far left on his debut album, 2005's Already Platinum. And the follow up, last year's Boss of All Bosses might have shot off to the right a bit too much.

But for his latest salvo, Tha Thug Show, released this week, the Texas titan said he hit right on the mark.

"My aim for this album was to give the fans the Already Platinum feel and my second album and even it out," he told MTV News. "The response I've been getting has been good. But my first album was kind of mainstream with all the Pharrell stuff, but the people of Houston felt like they didn't get enough of the old Slim Thug. And then on Boss of All Bosses, I gave them nothing but H-Town. [Laughs.] But on this one, I wanted to give them half and half, and I think I did a good job of mixing it up."

The project features collaborations with B.o.B ("So High"), Yo Gotti, Nipsey Hussle, Big K.R.I.T. and Rick Ross.

Ross and Slim Thug were involved in a minor dispute over the summer via Twitter over their shared nickname, "Boss," and a dated Ross record that leaked. But the pair patched things up and released "Paid the Coast" as a sign of solidarity between the rappers.

"For a record to surface and me being a little slow on Twitter, I didn't really peep it until two days later," Ross told MTV News at the time. "When I found out about it and heard about it, they said I'm dissing Slim Thug.

" 'What's the name of the record? "King Boss"?' '' he remembered asking. "I never had a record called 'King Boss.' I just left it alone. After the fact, [Slim] asked me about it. I told the homie, 'Of course it ain't nothing but love between me and you, big dawg.' We got in the studio later that night. The night we spoke. I e-mailed him something; shot him something, did something for his album. It's fire. Then I leaked 'Paid the Cost,' just to show the haters."

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Rick Ross Buries Twitter Feud With 'Fire' Slim Thug Collabos

14 Sep 2010 17:39:44 EDT

'I leaked 'Paid the Cost,' just to show the haters,' Ross tells Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive

Rick Ross says he didn't fire shots. It was just a rap reference that he had no intention of putting out anyway. A couple of weeks ago, a track leaked to the mixtape circuit and the Internet labeled "King Boss." Mr. Rozay rapped on the song, "She dated Slim Thug, but now she f--- with me/ She finally made it to the biggest boss luckily."

Slim Thugger quickly took to his Twitter page with a question — and a retort.

"WTF @rickyrozay is that a diss?" Slim wrote. "Just threw @rickyrozay cd out the roof of the coupe haters get no play in my ride."

Well, before things got too far out of hand, Ross and Thugger talked, hammered out the misunderstanding and actually banged out a couple of new official songs. One of them, "Paid the Cost," is out now.

"First of all, I wanna salute the homie, Slim Thugga," Ross said on Saturday in Los Angeles before the VMAs. "Maybe two weeks ago, a record had surfaced that I recorded before I even met Slim Thug. Just not knowing the dude and made the record and, after the fact, maybe four or five years later, the record leaked. He responded in a way that was totally understandable. What was funny about that situation is that Slim Thug is actually an artist that after I met him, embraced me and showed me the most love. The homie, Slim Thug, and I gotta salute the homie, Trae Tha Truth."

Ross said that Slim and Trae always roll out the red carpet for him when he goes to Houston.

"For a record to surface and me being a little slow on Twitter, I didn't really peep it until two days later," Ross continued. "When I found out about it and heard about it, they said I'm dissing Slim Thug. 'What's the name of the record? "King Boss"?' ''he remembered asking. "I never had a record called 'King Boss.' I just left it alone. After the fact, [Slim] asked me about it. I told the homie, 'Of course it ain't nothing but love between me and you, big dawg.' We got in the studio, later that night. The night we spoke. I e-mailed him something; shot him something, did something for his album. It's fire. Then I leaked 'Paid the Cost,' just to show the haters."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Rick Ross, Slim Thug Battle On Twitter Over Song Lyrics

30 Aug 2010 12:32:19 EDT

'Just threw [Rick Ross'] cd out the roof of the coupe,' Houston rapper tweeted.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Who's the boss? Tony Danza might have some say in the matter, but rappers Rick Ross and Slim Thug took to Twitter over the weekend to lash out at each other after lyrics from the Miami rapper's leaked song "King Boss" hit the Web.

"She dated Slim Thug, but now she f---s with me," Ross spits on the track's second verse. "She finally made it to the biggest boss, luckily."

"WTF is that a diss," Slim Thug tweeted to Ross.

"Just threw [Rick Ross'] cd out the roof of the coupe," the Houston rapper later wrote. "[H]aters get no play in my ride."

According to Slim Thug, he reached out to Ross to get some clarity regarding the song but was unable to connect with the Teflon Don star.

Though the song appears to be dated, a rep for Ross had not responded to our inquiry by press time.

Slim Thug also tweeted that Ross' silence on the matter must speak for his intent, namely that the song was intended to be a fresh attack on Slim Thug. He continued to disparage Ross, eventually prompting one of the Miami rapper's crew members, Torch, to chime in.

"Not u2 [Slim Thug] aka Slim Sukka," Torch wrote. "I promise this ain't the attention u want..."

Ross, for his part, weighed in on the matter, albeit briefly, with just one message posted on Twitter. "[R]eal n---as pick up phones," he wrote. "A boss would kno better!!#trillsh--."

The pair have collaborated in the past, but it remains unclear if there was previous friction between the two artists, who both use "Boss" nicknames.

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Bun B Plans Concert For Haiti, While Other Rappers Urge Donations

15 Jan 2010 14:29:00 EST

'Houston for Haiti' show will also feature Slim Thug; Hot 97 exchanges song requests for donations.
By Shaheem Reid

The resounding feeling about the relief efforts in Haiti is that there is no time to waste. Members of the hip-hop community have been banning together in their efforts to help. Wyclef has been active, already raising in excess of $2 million for his home country, while New York radio station Hot 97 asked listeners to call up and request songs in exchange for a donation to the relief effort.

On Monday, Bun B is spearheading a concert that will be a fundraiser for Haiti relief. The show, "Houston for Haiti," is scheduled to go from 4-8 p.m. at the Warehouse Live in Houston. Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young will make an appearance, while H-Town mainstays such as Bun, Slim Thug, ESG, Corey Mo and Trae Tha Truth have all confirmed performances. Lil O, Candi Redd, Just Brittany and the Party Boyz are also onboard.

Bun promised that more names will join.

"We all need to get involved," the UGK rapper said in a statement. "Race, color or creed, we are all Haitians right now, and we need to help our brothers and sisters!"

Meanwhile, MCs such as Fabolous have taken to Twitter to urge everyone to donate through various avenues, such as texting "Yele" to 501501, which adds a $5 donation to your phone bill.

"It's just devastating," Fabolous said about the catastrophe. "I don't know if Haiti had history of earthquakes in the past. The devastation I seen, I saw a brief clip of raw footage on the Internet. ... A lot of places in America are not built for earthquakes, so I know in Haiti they are really stressing that issue of not being prepared for something like that. I know it's a crazy, devastating situation for that country alone. I send my [prayers]."

Head here to learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see THINK mtv.

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Pimp C Remembered By Bun B, Chamillionaire, More On First Anniversary Of His Death

04 Dec 2008 16:22:00 EST

Rapper's wife and friends note how his influence lives on in the Houston scene.
By Steven Roberts, with additional reporting by Shaheem Reid

Thursday (December 4) marks the first anniversary of the death of UGK rap legend Pimp C (real name: Chad Butler), who was found dead last year in his room at the Mondrian hotel in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County coroner's office, he died of an accidental overdose of cough medication and a pre-existing sleeping condition.

Pimp C's contribution to Southern rap has not been forgotten, however. Along with UGK partner Bun B, he was influential in establishing Houston in the game and inspired the careers of many of the city's MCs. All day, thoughts have been pouring in to MTV News from his friends and colleagues about how the late rapper touched their lives. (Click here for photos of Pimp C and UGK.)

"I'm normally good with words, but it took me a while just to put a three-sentence quote together about him, because there are no words to describe how much he meant to me and so many others," fellow Houston MC Chamillionaire wrote in an e-mail. "It really seems like it was just yesterday that he was here, and I still can't believe he's not. He is deeply missed, and I know his legacy will live on forever."

Slim Thug said that Pimp C's voice still lives on in many artists' music. "I hear him sampled on hooks and hear all the good music he made while alive, and I know we will never forget what he did for Texas."

Pimp C is expected to make a posthumous appearance on Chamillionaire's third album, Venom, and is featured with Chamillionaire on "Underground Thang," a song off of Bun B's II Trill.

Bun B remembered his partner fondly when we spoke to him recently in Houston during the weekend of the "Best of Texas" concert. "It took us awhile to figure out that UGK was not just a group," Bun said. "UGK means so much to so many people."

Bun said he would never forget how they supported and encouraged each other to continue in the game. "There would be different times where his frustration would get overbearing, and he would want to just kind of stop doing it, and I would lift him," he recalled. "And then vice-versa. When I would start feeling indifferent about the game, he would be there to lift me up and keep me inspired."

Pimp C's wife, Chinara Butler, also shared her thoughts on what her husband meant to her family and music.

"To my husband and best friend, words can never express how much you are missed, and how much of a gap you left in the lives of family, friends, the industry and your fans!" she said in an e-mail. "I don't think I'm alone when I say I definitely miss you, speaking the real. You are loved and missed, but your spirit and music will live on forever!"

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Chamillionaire, Mike Jones, Bun B Help Unite Houston At 'Best Of Texas' Concert

24 Nov 2008 15:11:00 EST

Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Scarface, Lil' Flip also take the stage.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

Houston hip-hop artists have a history of being very talented but, unfortunately, very divided at times. In the '90s, there were rivalries based on what part of the city you lived in. Several years ago, that philosophy was put aside, and the guys from H-Town started collaborating regardless of geography. When the city reemerged and exploded less than a handful of years ago, the scene caught fire with a bevy of pairings: Slim ThugSlim Thug and ChamillionaireChamillionaire. Lil' FlipLil' Flip and Chamillionaire. Slim Thug, Mike JonesMike Jones and Paul WallPaul Wall. Bun BBun B and everybody.

Then everybody started doing their own thing again.

"In every argument, both sides are going to feel they are right," said Chamillionaire, who has had issues with Paul Wall and Mike Jones over the past few years. "In hip-hop, it's very competitive — the competitive nature of the music. ... Any little thing can make somebody mad."

At the recent Ozone Awards — supposedly a shining moment for the city — the division screamed when Trae tha Truth laid hands on Mike Jones, punching the MC. To make matters worse, the night ended early without a planned cipher of the city's MCs closing the show. Tsk-tsk.

On Sunday, Houston radio station the Box pulled off what some called the impossible, assembling just about every hip-hop artist in the city — old and new — for what they called the "Best of Texas" concert. It all took place during the Los Magnificos Car Show at the Reliant Center, and it lasted more than seven hours.

"This is home," Lil' Flip said after he got offstage early in the afternoon. "The biggest car show we ever had. Twenty-thousand [people]! Usually we have, like, 12,000."

Flip underestimated the turnout; by show's end, there was talk of the spectator tally being somewhere between 28,000 and 30,000.

"This is our biggest event of the year," Slim Thug explained. "Usually we have artists from all over the country come down and perform. This year, it's all Houston and a few Dallas artists, and it's sold out. This is the biggest turnout they ever had."

Houston legends the Botany Boys, Lil' KekeLil' Keke, ScarfaceScarface and Bun B joined current hometown superstars Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug and Mike Jones. The night's most anticipated and loudly received sets, however, came from two guys who the mainstream don't really know, Trae tha Truth and Z-Ro, who closed the show.

"It's intoxicating, it's like one of them things rolled up burning," said Z-Ro, who was the undeniable crowd favorite of the night. "Z-Ro, Zeeee-rooooo," the crowd started chanting an hour before he came on.

"The kids and the older people, all walks of life — they out there screaming, word for word," the MC said. "I looked out and didn't see any wall, I didn't see any wall. All I saw was people. I felt I had to be all I can. It's like the army now."

It was very surreal hearing 20,000-plus sing Ro's song "I Hate You B----" like it was a Linda Perry power ballad.

Mike Jones got a very different reaction during his set. Maybe they didn't immediately recognize him because of his significant weight loss (he's been dieting and working out), but when he came out, the crowd was just cold. No booing, no cheering, no reaction. That indifference carried through his show for the most part. He did get them to sing along occasionally, though.

Bun B went over heavily with the crowd. They welcomed him like the legend he is. "Draped Up" and "Get Throwed" drove 'em crazy, while "Int'l Players Anthem" and "Big Pimpin' " kept hands in the air.

Paul Wall rolled out hits like "Sittin' Sidewayz" and "Grillz," but his big moment was bringing out Chamillionaire for 'N Luv Wit My Money.' The two buried the hatchet a while back, but they made it official Sunday night. Cham himself brought out Krayzie Bone on "Ridin' " and Lil' Flip for "Turn It Up."

Although songs such as "Mr. Scarface" and "Money and the Power" were probably older than some of the kids in the crowd, Scarface got them to chant his classics. "Smile" and "I Seen a Man Die" were also in his chamber, but the biggest record for him was "My Mind's Playing Tricks on Me." While it had been billed that the Geto Boys would take the stage together to receive a lifetime-achievement award, Bushwick Bill and Willie D were unexplained absentees.

Trae tha Truth clearly went over his allotted time: The house and stage lights were on during most of his performance. But who's gonna tell the imposing street don to stop rapping? Especially when Trae brought out his son and the kids of deceased Houston icons Fat Pat and Big Hawk.

But Slim Thug gets the show's MVP award. Besides his own set, he jumped onstage no less than five other times for various guest appearances. No "Still Tippin' " with Jones and Wall, though.

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The 'Travis Barker Remix' Of Lil Wayne's 'Got Money' -- Check Out A Clip Here!

25 Sep 2008 14:22:00 EDT

The Play N Skillz-helmed remix of the song, which features Barker on drums, was recorded day before plane crash.
By Shaheem Reid

When production duo Play N SkillzPlay N Skillz started putting out feelers for people to appear on the remix of Lil Wayne's "Got Money" — a track they produced — Travis BarkerTravis Barker was one of the first people to respond and record his part for it. One day before the recent plane crash that killed four people and seriously injured Barker and DJ AMDJ AM, the drummer was in the studio, giving "Got Money" a beautiful beat-down with brand-new thunderous beats.

"We talked to Lil Chris [Baker], his assistant who died in the crash," Play told MTV News on Sunday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the brothers were performing as part of the third annual New Mexico Takeover. "[Chris] was lining up the remix thing with Travis. I'd never met Travis, but we spoke two days before this happened. He went in the studio, did the 'Got Money' remix. We were really excited about that. Then you wake up one morning, and it's like, 'F---!' "

"It shows how fast something can happen," Skillz added. "The day before his crash, he had just did the drums to the 'Got Money' remix."

Play N Skillz said they took it upon themselves to try to spearhead a remix to the smash single. On Sunday, they had not yet spoken to WayneWayne personally about the new song but had talked to members of his camp.

(Go to the Newsroom blog to watch Barker and DJ AM rehearse for the VMAs and check out their full VMA performances.)

The duo said Sunday that there could be multiple remixes for the song, suggesting that one remix could feature just Barker on the drums, another might have Travis and various other MCs (they mentioned Slim ThugSlim Thug, Bun BBun B and GameGame), or Weezy might decide to lay down some new vocals. At press time the MC details had not been finalized, but Barker's contribution was complete.

"We took it upon ourselves," Play said of the remix. "So many people are doing remixes anyways. We spoke to [Wayne's artist] Mack Maine, who's on the record. We told him what was going on. This whole process with Wayne has never been a very personal relationship. It's been so third-party, but it works. He probably doesn't want to be bothered with that type of thing. I guess he's like, 'Let me get in my space and do what I do.' If Wayne gets involved, even better. I didn't think he's not gonna wanna be a part of it. We're just trying to be innovative, and if anything, it can go to the Internet and to the fans."

Besides the Wayne remix, Barker was also working on several songs for Paul Wall'sPaul Wall's upcoming LP, The Fast Life, before the crash.

Barker and DJ AM remain hospitalized in Georgia following Friday night's crash. They are in serious but stable condition. The two entertainers were the only two survivors of six passengers. In addition to Baker, Barker's bodyguard, Charles "Che" Still, and the plane's pilots died in the crash. Barker and AM suffered serious burns but are expected to make full recoveries.

If you'd like more information on the memorial funds set up to benefit Chris Baker's and Charles Still's families, visit the Famous Stars and Straps Web site.

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Slim Thug Is Ready To Be His Own Boss Again: MC Says He'll Be Free Of Record Deal Within The Week

15 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

'I just can't sit on the sideline,' Slim says of his disappointing stint with Interscope.
By Shaheem Reid

Slim Thug didn't name his upcoming album Boss of All Bosses for nothing. The H-Town rapper with the booming baritone plans to release his next solo project independently. "If I'm supposed to be the mutha----ing boss, then I should be putting my [own] sh-- out," he explained.

So he met with Star Trak/ Geffen/ Interscope execs recently and, according to him, by later this week, he should officially be off the label and free to put out his next album on his own.

"I sat down with the general manager," he said. "Really, I just sat down and told them, 'Y'all over here don't understand the type of music I do, and y'all hold me back while y'all trying to get your situation together. I ain't really got that time to sit on the sideline while you do this. Let me pay y'all. Y'all gave me all this money. Listen, I'll give y'all some money off the new album.' I just can't sit on the sideline while they do their sh--. He sat down with [Interscope Chairman] Jimmy [Iovine], and we all came up with something we could all agree with. It ain't no hard feelings."

Slim said that since he signed on the dotted line at the 'Scope, there has been too much turnover at the company. Publicists, A&Rs and other employees have gotten pink slips, leaving him to figure out who is who among the new folks.

Now, with his newfound freedom, he said to expect his album to be out by late summer. But first up will be the boys in blue: Tha Boss Hogg Outlawz are set to release their second project through Koch Records. Then it will be the boss' turn.

"The album is done," he said. "The paperwork is done. Then singles should follow."

Slim first expressed his discontent about being on a major label to Mixtape Monday in late 2006. He definitely wasn't feeling that his debut, Already Platinum, was only certified gold — especially because he was consistently able to sell hundreds of thousands of records by himself throughout the South prior to signing with Star Trak/ Interscope in 2004.

"I thought it should have went way farther," he said then. "I was an independent artist that did all the work myself. Once I signed a major deal, I kind of felt like, 'I'm signed to a major label, oh, they gonna do all the work now.' "

Regarding his Boss of All Bosses, he said, "It's gonna be different. You gonna hear a lot more Houston records. The feedback I got from my fans [about the] last album was that they wanted to hear a lot more Houston records. So I worked with people out of Houston, a bunch of producers I came up with. I did, like, 30 songs with these cats, so I really got the album done. I'm gonna get, like, two from Pharrell [Williams] and maybe work with a few other big producers, but keep it Houston."

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Lupe Fiasco Wants To Quit Music Biz, But Promises More Collabos With Kanye, Pharrell; Fabolous Makes The Band: Mixtape Monday

14 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Killer Mike gets out from Outkast's shadow; Slim Thug splits from Interscope for solo album.
By Shaheem Reid with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Jasmine Dotiwala

Artist: Killer Mike

Representing: Atlanta

Mixtape: I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II 411: Ladies and ghetto-men, Killack Obama. "If you have a boss, and you don't like your boss," Killer Mike began, "fire your boss, and be a boss! If you don't have an idea, lay down, develop a dream, wake up, have a vision, get to the money. Feed your immediate family; provide jobs in your community. Do something instead of doing nothing. I do not pledge my allegiance to dope. I do not pledge my allegiance to some funky job. I do not pledge my allegiance to waiting on the government to feed me. I pledge my allegiance to getting rich independently.

"You have people out there who work all their life and people who hustle all their life," he continued. "If you take 50 percent of work and 50 percent of hustle and marry those things, you got something unstoppable. You got a hustler's spirit, but you have the skill and determination to work a 9-to-5 every day. Or if you treat your hustle like a 9-to-5, you will never fall. 'Grind' means to get rich independently."

Killer Mike is on his own now. Clearly, his days as Outkast's protégé are long gone. All it took was one shelved album (Ghetto Extraordinary) and a physical altercation (in 2006).

"I don't know why the album never came out," he said of his would-be sophomore LP for Big Boi's Purple Ribbon label. "I don't know what happened between Purple Ribbon and Sony. I just know around that time, I got tired of sitting on the shelf. I got up, dusted myself off and got right back in action. I think it's tough for a lot of artists not to be complacent. It's easy to be complacent when you're eating, but when you're starving, it's not hard to get motivated. I got to the point where nobody around there was eating. I had to go somewhere and eat."

Mike is not only cooking his own meals now, but he's taking the orders and serving up the plates with his Grind Time Official records, an independent label with distribution through SMC/Fontana.

"Doing this has made me a lot more sympathetic to what Big Boi was going through," he said of running the show as a CEO and artist. "It can be suffocating, overwhelming. You have to find a certain peace within yourself and dedicate a part of yourself to the music and the business. My goal is not to run my company. My goal is to be an artist that does great things [with] my company and set a certain vision for my company. But I want somebody that's qualified to run my company to run my company. That's just a wise move."

After this LP, Mike said to expect the third in his Pledge series soon, followed by an album he has been working on under the tutelage of No I.D., DJ Toomp, L-Rock and record executive Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua.

Joints To Check For:

» "God in the Building." "I feel the people on the bottom are closer to God," Mike sermonizes. "When I say the people on the bottom, I mean the people who are working every day, standing on the corner, people who are grinding. It's a famous story in the Bible where priests send Jesus his disciples. In your case, it would be like the police sending your homeboys over to you, and they saying 'Why is he over there with the hustlers and thieves and lowlifes?' To me, rappers, athletes, D-Boys with some consciousness, we are Jesuses of our day. It's our job to bring some light in the midst of the dark. ... When I walk in the building, when I walk in the club, when I walk in my kids nursery, the doctors' office ... everybody better wake up like God is in the building."

» "Two Sides." "If you're watching Atlanta on TV, you might think it's all about swagger. I'm from that real Atlanta, fresh off MLK [Boulevard]. If you don't know what it is, after you listen to this, you will know what it is. One time for all the A-town cats putting it down for real. Everybody who's lying, I know you lying. They know you lying. One time for [Shawty Lo], one time for Tip, one time for Jeezy, one time for Luda and everybody who's been holding Atlanta down the right way. Lot of love for [Gorilla] Zo, Boyz in the Hood. Must be two sides, 'cause either you on the right side or the wrong side. Are you from Atlanta or black Hollywood? I'm from Atlanta."

» "Alphabet Boys." "A lot of times, when you hear records about 'I was hustling' or doing this and that, you hear exciting stories, but they really don't make sense after you finish listening to them. I tell you stories with a moral to them. In 'Alphabet Boys,' I tell you how not to go to jail. In the first verse, I'm talking about what to do when them old heads get out of jail, and they want to get up under you and talk about what the price is. In the third verse, I'm talking about them girls that's dancing and working for the feds. I'm just saying, when you listen to my music, please believe it's a real message in there. And the message, it might just keep your black ass out of jail."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

» DJ L-Gee and Notorious B.I.G. - Americas Favorite Rapper (Dead or Alive)
» September 7th and Crooked I - Hip Hop Weekly Mixtape 3
» K.A.R. and Suge White (Hosted by Fat Joe) - Gay Unit
» DJ Warrior and DJ Envy - Cali Untouchable Radio 17 (Strong Arm Ready, Klak Klak Edition)
» DJ Dolla Sign - Terminator - The Curtis Jackson Chronicles

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» The Game - "N---a With a Attitude"
» Jim Jones (featuring Juelz Santana) - "Splash"
» Keith Murray - "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful"
» Young Buck - "It's Not OK"
» Usher (featuring T.I. and Young Jeezy) - "Love in This Club"

Fire Starter: Soul Diggaz

K-Mack, Bless and Corte Ellis of the Soul Diggaz have been around for a minute, earning their stripes under the wing of Missy Elliott while producing hits such as Keyshia Cole's "Let It Go" and the music for the Gap commercial with Ms. Misdemeanor and Madonna. Now, their name is in request mode across the industry, especially when it comes to the Atlantic Records roster — they're producing for Plies and worked with Donnie Klang and Diddy on "Take You There." They are in the midst of getting a deal to release their own album featuring artists under their umbrella. Also, the team has recently finalized a joint venture with Timbaland to put out newcomer Izza Kizza.

Celebrity Faves

Ashanti definitely has a hot joint — all the ladies are singing "The Way I Love You." And just like many others, the Long Island native loved "Yo! MTV Raps," even though she was just 7 years old when it debuted 20 years ago. (Go to Yo.MTV.com to check out highlights from the best episodes of the groundbreaking show.)

"Some of my favorite memories from 'Yo! MTV Raps' would have to be Fab 5 Freddy with his hat and his glasses," she recalled. "He always kept it very classy and sassy and 'hood, all at the same time. Some of my favorite female rappers from the 'Yo!' era ... YoYo, definitely. Salt-N-Pepa. I think Salt-N-Pepa, definitely are always gonna be relevant, 'cause they were the first ...They were sexy and still kinda approachable. Not raunchy, and they just kept it real from the early stages. Everyone had the Salt-N-Pepa haircut. I was too young for it, but a lot of my cousins were rockin' it. 'Push It' was phenomenal. Still is. Still rocks in the club!"

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

'Nuff respect to Lupe Fiasco. Usually, we take his word as bond, but when he starts talking about his next album being his career finale, that's something we refuse to believe. Maybe it's just denial that one of the most promising young superstars (pun intended) would retire before he even reached his prime. Recently he told MTV Base that he was 85 percent sure his next LP would be his last full-length solo set.

"I don't want to say I'm 100 percent sure, like, 'Yeah, this is it.' But 85 percent," he revealed. "That 15 percent is the X factor. That could be bills. Like, 'Lupe, you got to pa

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